The Lemon Tree Book

A young girl, emotionally abandoned by a self-absorbed Mother and often absent Father wanders upon a safe place in New Orleans which changes her life and gives her a hope for the future.

WELCOME

Young Jo wanders into a special place set on a side street in Uptown New Orleans where she feels something she has never felt at home–safe, welcomed, and loved. She resolves to do her ten year old best to create that same feeling of love and care for her two siblings, while her self absorbed Mother takes to her bed, convinced that she has been denied the movie role that would have changed her live. Despite a frequently absent Father and a critical Grandmother who makes weekends growing up with a harsh litany of criticism, Jo over comes years of neglect and finds the fortitude to shape a meaningful life for herself and her siblings.

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About the Author

The Lemon Tree is Jo’s first book. Although she had a love for writing growing up, she put it on the back burner to pursue a career in nursing. Jo is a Registered Nurse and the founder of Acappella in Home Care, one of the largest private duty nursing agencies in the South. Jo has a heart for seniors in need, and is the Executive Director of Pajamas for Seniors, a non-profit agency dedicated to collecting and distributing pajamas to low income adults in senior facilities.

Growing up Southern Baptist with a self absorbed Mother and often absent Father, Jo was forced to spend most of her childhood with an abusive Grandmother who believed that hard work was the only way to get to heaven. On weekends, while her Catholic friends were watching cartoons and playing with the latest toys, Jo and her siblings were polishing silver and starching linens with military precision. Her Grandmother’s personality at church was gentle and kind, unlike the often cruel and harsh one only her family saw.

Jo’s life changed when she stumbled upon a little shop not far from her home, where a perfect stranger gave her the hope for a brighter future.

Jo has been married to her amazing husband Matt for over thirty years. She has three grown children, a daughter-in-law, and a soon to be grandbaby that are the joys of her life. She has a cat, two dogs, and three chickens and lives in McKinney, Texas.